Magnolia Tribune
This article was produced by Magnolia Tribune staff.
Big Brown trainer withdraws from Congressional hearing, claiming illness
http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/horse/news/story?id=3451326
WASHINGTON -- Big Brown's trainer appears to be a late scratch for Thursday's House hearing on the safety of thoroughbred racing, removing the most anticipated witness from Congress' latest look at sports and steroids.
Rick Dutrow said Wednesday he has had a virus for several days and did not feel well enough to travel.
"I would go in a minute, but I just don't feel well," Dutrow said in a telephone interview. "To go down there when I'm not on top of my game would not be right."
The Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection had been looking forward to hearing from the trainer known for his candor and for methods that were brought into question after his star horse's stunning last-place finish at this month's Belmont Stakes.
Dutrow said he used a legal steroid on Big Brown -- although the last dose was given in April -- and the horse also ran the race on a quarter crack in the left front hoof in a failed attempt to become the first Triple Crown winner in 30 years.
"I'm sorry he's not here," said Rep. Ed Whitfield of Kentucky, the subcommittee's ranking Republican. "We had a lot of questions for him."
The hearing will go on, with much to discuss. An Associated Press survey last week found that thoroughbred racetracks reported more than three horse deaths a day in 2007 and 5,000 since 2003. The impetus for the hearing came when Eight Belles broke down at the Kentucky Derby last month and was euthanized on the track, well before the travails of Big Brown at the Belmont.
ESPN.com
6/18/08
Tiger’s absence will reverberate throughout golf world
http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/columns/story?columnist=sobel_jason&id=3450888
Tiger Woods is the greatest thing to happen to golf in a long, long time. And he isn't.
Before jabbing a 3-iron through the computer screen, bear with me. Ever since Woods burst onto the scene a dozen years ago, there's been some sentiment that the professional game can't survive at its most-elite levels without its top-ranked player in the mix -- and there's something to that notion. Although Woods competes in about one-third of all PGA Tour events each year, those without him in the fold often are considered second-class citizens, which in essence creates a division on the annual schedule.
With Wednesday's news that Woods will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery on his ACL while also rehabilitating a double stress fracture of his left tibia, the golf world will find out whether any of those players not named Woods can move the needle both in terms of TV ratings and attendance at events.
Look, golf has been around since the first Scotsman put stick to ball back in 1456. The first major championship was held in 1860, and the sport developed plenty of history before Woods' pro debut in 1996.
ESPN.com
6/18/08
